Refrigerating system



Nov. 26, 1929. ALEX 1,736,774

REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 1, 1926 Fig 5,

Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES MAX ALEX, OF DAVENPQRT, IOWA REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Application filed October 1, 1926. Serial N'o. 138,903.

My invention relates to cooling or refrigcrating systems and has for its principal object the provision of a cooling system that is particularly adapted for cooling drinking water, or the like, in offices and that will replace the ice coolers now in general use because it is simple, inexpensive and automatic in its operation.

The cooling system I employ is of the obsorption type, similar to that shown in my copending application, Serial No. 138,902,

filed Oct. 1, 1926, and it is an object of this invention to modify a cooling system of this character so as to make it a cooler for drinking water, or the like, which may be installed in business oflices.

It is a further object of my invention to provide the cooling system with means for automatically replenishing the supply of water in the cooler so as to make it unnecessary for an ofiice attendant to look out for it and to insure a supply of drinking water at all times.

Another object of my invention is to provide an automatic control device for automatically starting the generating and condensing operation of the machine when the temperature of the drinking water in the supply tank increases to a certain value, or when the supply of drinking water in the supply tank becomes very low, and to leave the supply tank filled at the end of the generating period, the control device also stopping the generating operation and starting the cooling of the generating absorbing chamber when the temperature in said chamber increases to a certain value.

I will now describe one form which my invention may take'by reference to'the accompanying drawings. However, I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shown and described, but I intend to take advantage of all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view taken substan tially centrally through the device.

Figure 2 is a sectional View at right angles to Figure 1 on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the automatic control means employed in this invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 1 represents the refrigerator casing, which may be constructed of the ordinary heat insulating material used for this purpose. The casing is divided by a partition 2 into a pair of chambers, one of which is adapted to contain a water tank in which the drinking water may be cooled, and the other of which houses the generator tank. 5 in the upper portion thereof and is provided with shelves, 6 and 7, which may be used for soap, or other articles, such as glasses and the like.

Within the chamber 3 I provide a tank 8 having a draw 03 spigot 9 controlled by a suitable valve whereby drinking water may be drawn off from the tank 8 when desired.

I also provide means consisting of the pipe 10 extending down into the tank 8 and -connected through the valve 11 with a source of water supply 12, by which the tank 8 may be filled with water from time to time as it becomes necessary. Leading from the top of the tank to any suitable discharge point is the overflow pipe 13, which permits, it the valve 11 is left open, a continuous flow of water through the pipe 10, tank 8 and overflow pipe 13, for a purpose which will pres.- ently appear.

Within the tank 8 I provide a cooling chamber 14 having a longitudinally extended passage 15 therethrough whereby the water in tank 8 may circulate through this passage,

as well as come into contact with the outer surface of tank 14 to become cooled.

The tank 5 is a combined generator and absorption tank and has the heating elements 16 and the cooling pipe 17 therein. The heating elements 16 may be of any suitable con struction of electric heater and are connected to a source of electric current, so that they 'may be heated from time to time to heat the I ammonia water in tank 17 and drive off the tents of the tank 5.

The discharge pipe 20 leads from the lower end of the pipe 17 to a suitable discharge point whereby a continuous flow of water through the pipe 17 may be maintained.

Leading from the top of the tank 5 to the top of the tank 14 is a pipe 21, which extends into the tank 14 and may have a check valve therein which will permit passage of gas from tank 5 to tank 14 but will not ,permit the return of gas through this pipe.

pass by the way of pipe 23 into tank 5 andbe absorbed thereby when the tank 5 is cooled by the pipe 17. Surrounding the opening 27 is an-annular member 28, which has a water and gas tight connection at its top and bottom with the pipe 25 and is provided with an opening 30 adjacent its top through which the gas may pass into the annular chamber formed thereby and through this chamber and opening 27 into the pipe 25.

I also provide means for automatically controlling the operation of the heater 16 and the water supply valves 11 and 19. I This means consists of a thermostat 31 in the tank 8 and a thermostat 32 in tank 5. These thermostats, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 3, have mercury switches thereon which are adapted to be rocked about a horizontal axis upon a change in temperature of the thermostats.

Leading from the source of supply to the mercury switch in thermostat 32 is a conductor 33 having a plurality of contacts in the switch member.

In the position shown in Figure 3 the heater 16 is in circuit in the source of supply through conductors 33 and '34, heater 16, conductor 35, the mercury switch 1n thermostat 31 and conductor 36. At the same time this position is obtained the valve 11, which may be operated by any suitable electric means, is opened by this electric means,

due to the fact it is connected in parallel in the heater 16 by means of the conductors 37 and 38.

Now, when a certain temperature is reached in the tank 5 the thermostat 32 will rock the mercury switch thereon about its axis to a position where the mercury therein will flow to the opposite end of the switch and place conductor 33 in circuit with conductor 39, at the same. time breaking the connection between conductors 33 and 34. This conductor 39 leads to the valve operating means for the valve 19 and from this means through the conductor 40, conductor 35, mercury switch in thermostat 31 and conductor 36 to the other side of the source of current. Thus, it will be seen that at this point cooling water is flowing through pipe 17 the heater is stopped and valve 11 is permitted to close. This position will be maintained until tank 5 is cooled sufficiently to start the absorption operation, and this will in a short time cool the tank 14 to such an extent that the mercury switch in thermostat 31 will break the connection between conductors 35 and 36, and thus permit the valve 19 to close and stop the flow of water through pipe 17. The absorption process will then go on until the temperature in tank 8 again rises enough to reestablish connection between conductors 35 and 36, by which time thermostat 32 has again established connection between the conductors 33 and 34, and at this time the heating operation will again take place.

The operation of the means whereby the water carriedover by the gas from tank 5 to tank 14 is returned to tank 5 is fully explained in my copending application referred to above and will not be fully explained herein. I

This water return device, as explained in the copending application, will from time to time remove the excess water from the tank 14 through the pipe 25, due to the fact that the level of liquid ammonia in the tank has submerged the opening 27, and thus a greater pressure is created in tank 14 than in tank 5, and since the gas can not escape it will force the water from the tank 14 up through the pipe 23 into tank 5.

From the above description and drawings, it will be clearthat I have provided an office water cooler, which will operate continuously and automatically without attention for an indefinite period of time without seriously impairing its efiiciency. The machine is also made up of very few parts, can he made in comparatively small size and operated at a low cost, all of which features are of great importance in a cooling device of this character.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a casing having a water supply chambertherein, a combined cooling and condensing chamber in said water supply chamber, a generator and absorption chamber adjacent said supply chamber and having communication with said cooling chamber whereby the refrigerant may circulate between the generator chamber and cooling chamber, heating means for heating said generator chamber, a cooling pipe extending through said generator chamber, a water supply means leading into and an overflow leading from said supply chamber, control means for starting said heating means and causing the supply of Water to said supply tank when the temperature in said supply tank rises to a certain value, and control means for stopping said heating and water supply means and causing the supply of cooling water to said cooling pipe, when the temperature of said generator chamber increases to a certain value, said last named control means responding to the temperature of said water supply chamber to cut ofi' the supply of cooling Water to said cooling pipe when the temperature in the said Water supply chamber falls below a certain value.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing having a water supply chamber therein, a combined cooling and condensing chamber in said water supply chamber, a generator and absorption chamber adjacent said supply chamber and having communication with said cooling chamber whereby the refrigerant may circulate between the generator chamber and cooling chamber, heating means for heating said generator chamber, a cooling pipe extending through said generator chamber, a water supply means leading into and an overflow leading from said supply chamber, control means starting said heating means and supplying water to said supply tank when the temperature in said supply tank rises to a certain value, and control means for stopping said heating and water supply means and supplying cooling water to said cooling pipe, when the temperature of said generator chamber increases to a certain value, said control means including a thermostat in said water supply chamber and a thermostat in said generator chamber, the thermostat in said generating chamber having connections for cutting off the supply of cooling water to said pipe when the temperature of the generator decreases below a certain value.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 30th day of September, A. D.

MAX ALEX. 

